Lesy Ceske Republiky, S.P. (Czech Republic)

Lesy České republiky, located in Hradec Králové, was founded on December 11, 1991 by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. The company's main activity is the management of over 1.2 million hectares of state-owned forest property (almost 86% of the total area of state forests) and the care of over 38,000 kilometers of designated watercourses and streams. The company is structured into three levels. The first level consists of the headquarters, the second level includes 7 regional offices, 5 forest enterprises, 1 seedling plant, and 7 watercourse administrations. The third level of the organizational structure consists of 62 forest administrations. The company's forestry strategy is based on sustainable forest management, maximizing the use of natural creative forces to ensure continuous and balanced fulfillment of the forests' production functions. The company aims to create stable, high-quality, mixed forests in terms of species, space, and age groups. Lesy České republiky also provides an important service to owners of small private forests by performing the legally designated function of a professional forest manager on their properties. They are the only entity in the Czech Republic to have introduced an internal qualification for professional forest managers. The company's economic priority is balanced financial management, financing forestry activities from its own resources, and independence from the state budget. The state forest property managed by Lesy České republiky consistently generates profit and serves the entire society by fulfilling the public functions of forests. The company has been operating as a stable firm throughout its existence, as evidenced by its regular placement in the top half of the CZECH TOP 100 ranking. In 2004, CRA Rating Agency, a.s., awarded Lesy České republiky a long-term CRA Rating of A+ / czAaa, the highest possible rating for a business entity in the Czech Republic. Lesy České republiky invests significant financial resources in the restoration of forests damaged by emissions in border areas and in the restoration and maintenance of forest roads, which are now used not only for forest management but also for hiking and cycling. In order to support the development of the most important public functions of forests, Lesy České republiky adopted one of its basic documents, PROGRAM 2000, in 1999 to ensure the achievement of public interest goals. This program was updated to Program 2020 and is now followed by the current program, Lesy pro život (Forests for Life). More information about this program can be found at www.klubnoveholesa.cz. Lesy České republiky is the largest manager of protected areas and the most important partner of nature conservation authorities in the Czech Republic. The company strives to respect the regime set for forest management in protected areas. In 2007, Lesy České republiky received certification for participation in forest certification according to the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) system. This independent audit confirms that the company takes care of the entrusted forests based on the principles of sustainability and manages them in an environmentally friendly manner.